Evaluation of the Digene Hybrid Capture II Assay with the Rapid Capture System for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Screening for chlamydial and gonococcal infection has been strongly recommended for all sexually active women under the age of 26. Advances in the ability to detect infection by nucleic acid detection techniques have improved access to screening methods in routine clinical practices. To meet the increasing demand for testing, a high-throughput system is desirable. We evaluated the performance of the Hybrid Capture 2 CT/GC (HC2) assay with the Digene Rapid Capture System (HC2-RCS). The results of HC2-RCS for endocervical samples from 330 women were compared to those of culture and the COBAS Amplicor PCR. For detection of chlamydial infection, HC2-RCS had a sensitivity and a specificity similar to those of PCR (P > 0.5) and an improved sensitivity compared to that of culture (P = 0.007). For identification of gonococcal infections, all assays performed similarly (P > 0.5). The performance of HC2-RCS was also compared to that of the manual HC2 format (HC2-M) with these samples and with 911 endocervical samples collected previously. The performance of HC2-RCS was equivalent to that of HC2-M; the overall concordance rates for the detection of chlamydia and gonorrhea were 99.7% (kappa = 0.97) and 99.8% (kappa = 0.97), respectively. When the HC2 assay was performed with a semiautomated system application designed for high throughput, it demonstrated high sensitivity and a high specificity for detection of both Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Oxidative stress and NF-kappaB activation: correlation in patients following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Although in vitro data has linked reactive oxygen species (ROS) to activation of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB), little data exist regarding this relationship in human disease. We hypothesized that bone marrow transplantation (BMT) would impart a degree of oxidative stress that might lead to in vivo activation of the redox-sensitive transcription factor NF-kappaB. Because NF-kappaB regulates transcription of many proinflammatory mediators, we reasoned that activation of NF-kappaB might contribute to the development of transplant-related complications. To evaluate NF-kappaB activation in humans, we measured NF-kappaB binding activity in nuclear extracts of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells obtained before and after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in 7 patients. Changes in BAL cell NF-kappaB binding activity were compared with changes in urinary F2-isoprostane concentration, an indicator of in vivo free radical-catalyzed lipid peroxidation. Although the extent of in vivo lipid peroxidation has substantial interindividual variability over time, we found a strong correlation between the pre/post-BMT ratio of urinary isoprostane concentrations and pre/post-BMT ratio of NF-kappaB binding activity in BAL cells, R = 0.96, p = 0.0005). This correlation is selective, because no relationship was found between the transcription factor CREB and urinary F2-isoprostane excretion. Although limited by the small number of patients studied, our data link oxidant stress to NF-kappaB activation in human alveolar macrophages following BMT. It is possible that such interactions may contribute to the clinical course after BMT by affecting transcription of proinflammatory genes.

Factors influencing exercise performance in patients with left ventricular dysfunction. SOLVD Investigators. Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: The determinants of exercise performance are multifactorial and incompletely understood in patients with symptomatic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, with much less information regarding asymptomatic LV dysfunction. This study assessed the hemodynamics and neurohormonal factors influencing exercise performance in patients with LV ejection fractions > or =0.35, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, enrolled in Studies of LV Dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 103 patients enrolled prospectively in Studies of LV Dysfunction before randomized therapy; 38 were symptomatic and 65 had no or minimal symptoms. By using rest-exercise gated equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography and cuff blood pressure, we assessed the heart rate, LV and right ventricular (RV) volumes and ejection fractions, total peripheral resistance, the LV peak systolic pressure/end systolic volume ratio as an index of contractility, and plasma renin and norepinephrine at rest and during maximal graded supine bicycle ergometer exercise. Changes between rest and exercise were evaluated as indices of cardiovascular reserve. The cumulative workload ranged from 120 to 2,100 watt-min. At rest, the LV ejection fraction was 0.30 in asymptomatic patients and 0.25 in symptomatic patients, respectively (P < .0004). During exercise, asymptomatic patients had greater increases in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, LV ejection fraction, and cardiac output than symptomatic patients (P > or = .05). Combining all patients, the strongest univariate correlates of exercise workload were the ability to increase heart rate (r = 0.70), the pressure/volume ratio (r = 0.63), and systolic blood pressure (r = 0.55), and to decrease the total peripheral resistance (r = -0.47) with moderate correlations for the ability to increase LV and RV ejection fractions (r = 0.33 and 0.35, respectively) (P < .0008). By multivariate analysis, workload was modeled best by the changes in four factors: heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and the LV and RV ejection fractions (R2 = 0.54, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Exercise performance and its hemodynamics differed in patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic LV dysfunction. Rather than features at rest, the reserve capacities for increasing heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and the LV and RV ejection fractions were the predominant cardiac mechanisms related to greater exercise performance.

Acute and long-term effects of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, enalapril, on adrenergic activity and sensitivity during exercise in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Patients with heart failure and left ventricular systolic dysfunction exhibit increased adrenergic activity but blunted adrenergic responsiveness. We studied patients enrolled in the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction, examining exercise responses of heart rate (HR) and plasma norepinephrine (PNE). Eighty-seven patients were studied before randomization; 65 of these were examined 1 year after randomization to placebo or enalapril. Compared with prevention trial (asymptomatic) patients, patients in the treatment trial (symptomatic) had higher resting HR and PNE levels and less increase in HR with a greater increase in PNE with exercise. Acute administration of enalapril increased the resting HR in patients in the prevention trial only but had no significant effect on PNE. After 1 year of therapy, patients in the prevention trial exhibited no change. Within the treatment trial, the placebo group displayed both a higher peak PNE and increase in PNE with exercise than did the enalapril group, whose HR response was maintained in spite of a reduction of exercise PNE. We conclude that (1) compared with asymptomatic patients, symptomatic patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction manifest greater resting and exercise adrenergic activity, with blunted HR response; and (2) in symptomatic patients, 1 year of enalapril treatment effected an augmented HR response to adrenergic stimulation, supporting an interaction between the renin/angiotensin and adrenergic nervous systems. Normalization of adrenergic tone and response likely contributes to the benefits of long-term angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy.

Pivot/Remote: a distributed database for remote data entry in multi-center clinical trials.

1. INTRODUCTION. Data collection is a critical component of multi-center clinical trials. Clinical trials conducted in intensive care units (ICU) are even more difficult because the acute nature of illnesses in ICU settings requires that masses of data be collected in a short time. More than a thousand data points are routinely collected for each study patient. The majority of clinical trials are still "paper-based," even if a remote data entry (RDE) system is utilized. The typical RDE system consists of a computer housed in the CC office and connected by modem to a centralized data coordinating center (DCC). Study data must first be recorded on a paper case report form (CRF), transcribed into the RDE system, and transmitted to the DCC. This approach requires additional monitoring since both the paper CRF and study database must be verified. The paper-based RDE system cannot take full advantage of automatic data checking routines. Much of the effort (and expense) of a clinical trial is ensuring that study data matches the original patient data. 2. METHODS. We have developed an RDE system, Pivot/Remote, that eliminates the need for paper-based CRFs. It creates an innovative, distributed database. The database resides partially at the study clinical centers (CC) and at the DCC. Pivot/Remote is descended from technology introduced with Pivot [1]. Study data is collected at the bedside with laptop computers. A graphical user interface (GUI) allows the display of electronic CRFs that closely mimic the normal paper-based forms. Data entry time is the same as for paper CRFs. Pull-down menus, displaying the possible responses, simplify the process of entering data. Edit checks are performed on most data items. For example, entered dates must conform to some temporal logic imposed by the study. Data must conform to some acceptable range of values. Calculations, such as computing the subject's age or the APACHE II score, are automatically made as the data is entered. Data that is collected serially (BP, HR, etc.) can be displayed graphically in a trend form along with other related variables. An audit trail is created that automatically tracks all changes to the original data, making it possible to reconstruct the CRF to any point in time. On-line help provides information on the study protocol as well as assistance with the use of the system. Electronic security makes it possible to lock certain parts of the CRF once it has been monitored. Completed CRFs are transmitted to the DCC via electronic mail where it is reviewed and merged into the study database. Questions about subject data are transmitted back to the CC via electronic mail. This approach to maintaining the study database is unique in that the study data files are distributed among the CC and DCC. Until a subject's CRF is monitored (verified against the original patient data residing in the hospital record), it logically resides at the CC where it was collected. Copies are transmitted to the DCC and are only read there. Any pre-monitoring changes must be made to the data at the CC. Once the subject's CRF is monitored, it logically moves to the DCC, and any subsequent changes are made at the DCC with copies of the CRF flowing back to the CC. 3. DISCUSSION. Pivot/Remote eliminates the need for paper forms by utilizing portable computers that can be used at the patient bedside. A GUI makes it possible to quickly enter data. Because the user gets instant feedback on possible error conditions, time is saved because the original data is close at hand. The ability to display trended data or variables in the context of other data allows detection of erroneous conditions beyond simple range checks. The logical construction of the database minimizes the problem of managing dual databases (at the CC and DCC) and keeps CC personnel in the loop until all changes are made.

Effects of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril on the long-term progression of left ventricular dilatation in patients with asymptomatic systolic dysfunction. SOLVD (Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction) Investigators.

BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure and reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) manifest progressive LV dilatation, which is prevented by angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. In patients with asymptomatic LV systolic dysfunction, in whom there is less activation of the renin-angiotensin system, ventricular remodeling might be less rapid and the benefit of ACE inhibitors less discernible. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred eight patients enrolled in the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) Prevention Trial, with left ventricular ejection fraction < or = 0.35 but without clinical heart failure, underwent radionuclide ventriculograms, and 49 underwent left heart catheterizations. Measurements were made before and after double-blinded randomization to enalapril (2.5 to 20 mg/d) or placebo. Repeated-measures analysis of all time points showed significant differences for change in end-diastolic volume (EDV) between enalapril and placebo groups. Significant difference between the enalapril and placebo groups (P < .05) was present for change in EDV at 1 year within the catheterization study and at a mean of 25 months within the radionuclide study. Radionuclide EDV increased in placebo patients (119 +/- 28 to 124 +/- 33 mL/m2, mean +/- SD) and decreased in enalapril patients (120 +/- 25 to 113 +/- 25 mL/m2). Differences between the two groups were significantly less than previously described in patients with symptomatic heart failure (P < .02), with less increase in LV volumes in the placebo group and less decrease in volumes in the enalapril group. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic ACE inhibitor treatment slows or reverses LV dilatation in patients with asymptomatic LV systolic dysfunction. Compared with symptomatic patients, asymptomatic patients manifest a slower rate of spontaneous LV dilatation and less reduction in LV volumes by enalapril.

Recruitment strategies in the studies of left ventricular dysfunction (SOLVD): strategies for screening and enrollment in two concurrent but separate trials. The SOLVD Investigators.

SOLVD was a double-masked, placebo-controlled trial whose initial sample size goal was to randomize 6100 participants into two concurrent trials: treatment and prevention. The objective was to determine if participants with severe left ventricular dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction < or = 35%, with congestive heart failure (2569) and participants without overt heart failure (4228) had improved survival with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Participants were identified from cardiac catheterization, echocardiography and radionuclide laboratories, and inpatient units. The treatment trial recruitment goal was attained 13 months ahead of schedule while recruitment for the prevention trial was extended 11 months beyond the scheduled time. Recruitment of relatively asymptomatic participants with a low ejection fraction in a hospital-based trial necessitated novel strategies. Coronary care units and clinics for follow-up of acute cardiac conditions, not typically employed in studies of chronic diseases, were useful recruitment sources. Different approaches to encourage participation also needed to be employed. Expanding selected entry criteria was evaluated and the success of varying strategies was reviewed. The authors recommend tailoring of strategies to the target population, staffing flexibility, principal investigator involvement, and broad entry criteria in recruitment activities.

Effects of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril on the long-term progression of left ventricular dysfunction in patients with heart failure. SOLVD Investigators.

BACKGROUND: In patients with heart failure, activation of the renin-angiotensin system is common and has been postulated to provide a stimulus for further left ventricular (LV) structural and functional derangement. We tested the hypothesis that chronic administration of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor enalapril prevents or reverses LV dilatation and systolic dysfunction among patients with depressed ejection fraction (EF) and symptomatic heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined subsets of patients enrolled in the Treatment Trial of Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD). Fifty-six patients with mild to moderate heart failure underwent serial radionuclide ventriculograms, and 16 underwent serial left heart catheterizations, before and after randomization to enalapril (2.5-20 mg/day) or placebo. At 1 year, there were significant treatment differences in LV end-diastolic volume (EDV; p less than 0.01), end-systolic volume (ESV; p less than 0.005), and EF (p less than 0.05). These effects resulted from increases in EDV (mean +/- SD, 136 +/- 27 to 151 +/- 38 ml/m2) and ESV (103 +/- 24 to 116 +/- 24 ml/m2) in the placebo group and decreases in EDV (140 +/- 44 to 127 +/- 37 ml/m2) and ESV (106 +/- 42 to 93 +/- 37 ml/m2) in the enalapril group. Mean LVEF increased in enalapril patients from 0.25 +/- 0.07 to 0.29 +/- 0.08 (p less than 0.01). There was a significant treatment difference in LV end-diastolic pressure at 1 year (p less than 0.05), with changes paralleling those of EDV. The time constant of LV relaxation changed only in the placebo group (p less than 0.01 versus enalapril), increasing from 59.2 +/- 8.0 to 67.8 +/- 7.2 msec. Serial radionuclide studies over a period of 33 months showed increases in LV volumes only in the placebo group. Two weeks after withdrawal of enalapril, EDV and ESV increased to baseline levels but not to the higher levels observed with placebo. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with heart failure and reduced LVEF, chronic ACE inhibition with enalapril prevents progressive LV dilatation and systolic dysfunction (increased ESV). These effects probably result from a combination of altered remodeling and sustained reduction in preload and afterload.

Effectiveness of preload reserve as a determinant of clinical status in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The SOLVD Investigators.

The hemodynamic determinants of clinical status in patients with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction have not been established. In the present study, preload reserve--LV distension during exercise--was related to clinical status, and the effect of acute angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition was examined in 97 patients with ejection fraction less than or equal to 0.35 enrolled in the trial, Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD). Sixty-one asymptomatic patients (group I) were compared with 36 patients with symptomatic heart failure (group II). Radionuclide LV volumes were measured at rest and during maximal cycle exercise. Group II patients had higher resting heart rates, end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes, and lower ejection fractions (all p less than 0.005). During exercise, only patients in group I had increased stroke volume (from 35 +/- 8 to 39 +/- 11 ml/m2 [mean +/- SD; p less than 0.0005]) due to an increase in end-diastolic volume (from 119 +/- 29 to 126 +/- 29 ml/m2 [p less than 0.0005]), contributing to a greater increase in LV minute output (p less than 0.0001, group I vs group II). After administration of intravenous enalapril (1.25 mg), LV end-diastolic volume response to exercise was augmented in group II (rest, 140 +/- 42; exercise, 148 +/- 43 ml/m2; p less than 0.0005) and LV output response increased slightly (p less than 0.05). Thus, in patients with asymptomatic systolic dysfunction, recruitment of preload during exercise is responsible for maintaining a stroke volume contribution to the cardiac output response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of acute angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on left ventricular filling in patients with congestive heart failure. Relation to right ventricular volumes.

To examine the manner in which changes in diastolic performance can contribute to the effect of vasodilation in patients with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction, we examined the effect of acute inhibition of angiotensin converting enzyme with intravenous enalaprilat on early LV diastolic filling. We studied 43 patients with congestive heart failure and depressed LV systolic function (mean ejection fraction +/- SD, 0.24 +/- 0.06), performing radionuclide ventriculography before and after administration of 1.25 mg intravenous enalaprilat. We measured the effect of enalaprilat on the maximum rate of early LV diastolic filling normalized in four different ways and related these changes to both LV and right ventricular (RV) volumes. Enalaprilat induced a small but statistically significant reduction in LV end-systolic volume and increase in LV ejection fraction. For the entire patient group, there was no significant change in LV peak filling rate after enalaprilat administration. For individual patients, however, the effect of enalaprilat on peak filling rate was related to resting RV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes. In patients with enlarged RV end-diastolic volumes (greater than or equal to 120 ml/m2), mean peak filling rate increased from 1.38 +/- 0.6 to 1.71 +/- 0.6 end-diastolic volumes (EDV)/sec and from 244 +/- 131 to 297 +/- 162 ml/sec/m2 after enalaprilat administration, whereas no change in mean peak filling rate was observed in patients with nondilated RVs. These observations were present regardless of the method of normalizing peak filling rate. Thus, the response of LV peak filling rate to enalaprilat is influenced by the presence of RV dilatation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)